(Not) In My Backyard

Housing and Homelessness

Applying a proven model or solution to a new issue or sector (e.g., using a job recruiting software or strategy to match clients to supportive housing sites, applying demonstrated strategies from advocating for college affordability to advocating for housing affordability and homelessness, etc.)

Los Angeles' homeless community is currently facing increasing barriers which put them at increased risk of falling into homelessness in the first place and which jeopardize their ability to move into and retain permanent housing over the long term. We hope that by elevating their voices and telling their stories, we can affect change through art, advocacy and compassionate fundraising. This project will have the most impact on people experiencing homelessness, and we propose beginning by placing special focus on 1) Black individuals experiencing homelessness, 2) Latinx individuals experiencing homelessness, 3) seniors experiencing homelessness, and 4) families experiencing homelessness, among others. Each of these sub-populations within the broader homeless community are currently facing increasing barriers which put them at increased risk of falling into homelessness in the first place and which jeopardize their ability to move into and retain permanent housing over the long term.

New Musicals Inc. in partnership with Union Station Homeless Services will create a series of episodes of "(Not) In My Backyard," a musical theatre webseries dramatizing stories from people experiencing homelessness, in their own words. Members of the unhoused community will be paired with a professional composer, and the creative team will work with an NMI mentor to create musically theatrical pieces to be presented on both live and digital stages. The process will build upon NMI's previous work in 2021-2023 with Veterans, creating the highly-successful musical webseries, "So Proudly We Hailed," honoring Veterans in their own words. USHS approached New Musicals Inc with the idea that by our dramatizing some of the stories of their constituents, we can help raise awareness of the issues facing them, which in turn will raise advocacy, fundraising, and community action.

We believe that these dramatizations would be a highly impactful means by which to build deeper understanding and empathy on the part of the general public for people who struggle with being unhoused. For instance, we know that systemic racism and racial disparities affect homelessness in our region as they do across the country. We know that Black individuals make up 20% of individuals experiencing homelessness despite being just 0.69% of the San Gabriel Valley's overall population. As not everyone is a natural storyteller it is not always possible to have people tell their own stories. We believe that creating a series of short musicals can help our community in many ways, including advocacy, fundraising, awareness, and most importantly, as a vehicle for such a vital, overlooked sector of our society to have a voice and to be heard.

When we developed a musical sharing true stories about the foster care system, we saw first-hand how our musical changed sympathetic audience members into advocates and, even better, active participants. To quote one our patrons after a performance, "I've always been sympathetic for foster kids, but your show has motivated me to write a check right now, and tomorrow I'm going to go out at volunteer somewhere to help!" From 2020-23, we have been musicalizing the true stories of Veterans, in an amazing and transformative project called "So Proudly We Hailed." We have pages and pages of testimonials from grateful Veterans, thanking us for helping them tell their stories, and strengthen their advocacy. We are thrilled to turn our attention now to people experiencing homelessness, and hope we can help transform audience members into advocates and philanthropists.

We will take our cue from Union Station Homeless Service's guidance in the area of responding to the needs of the unhoused community. We believe they will be able to lead us to the most impactful stories which need to be told, and how best to use our stories to help the community. We expect we will be very helpful in some of their fundraising events by being able to present our finished musicals. and are guided by their counselors and experienced staff, including Union Station's Vice President of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Shawn Morrissey. and USHS's President and CEO, Anne Miskey. We shall be relying on them heavily to introduce us to potential citizens to honor, as well as mentors, advocates, advisors, benefactors, and potentially governmental and civic officials.